Markup Languages have attained wide popularity in recent years. One type of markup language, Extensible Markup Language (XML), is a universal language that provides a way to identify, exchange, and process various kinds of data. For example, XML is used to create documents that can be utilized by a variety of application programs. Elements of an XML file have an associated namespace and schema.
In XML, a namespace is a unique identifier for a collection of names that are used in XML documents as element types and attribute names. The name of a namespace is commonly used to uniquely identify each class of XML document. The unique namespaces differentiate markup elements that come from different sources and happen to have the same name.
XML Schemata provide a way to describe and validate data in an XML environment. A schema states what elements and attributes are used to describe content in an XML document, where each element is allowed, what types of text contents are allowed within it and which elements can appear within which other elements. The use of schemata ensures that the document is structured in a consistent manner. Schemata may be created by a user and generally supported by an associated markup language, such as XML. By using an XML editor, the user can manipulate the XML file and generate XML documents that adhere to the schema the user has created. XML documents may be created to adhere to one or more schemata.
Typically, word-processing documents are not understandable by external applications unless those applications are familiar with the specific structure of the document. This makes it very difficult for applications to manipulate the word-processing documents without extensive knowledge of the application. What is needed is a way to easily manipulate, create, and display documents associated with a word-processor.